A Love Letter to the Korg iMS-20

Somewhat surprising to me, after finally getting a new iPad to replace an “ancient too soon” iPad 2, I found myself using the first iOS synth app I ever purchased more than the rest of my iOS music app collection – old or new. Simply put, the Korg iMS-20 simply serves my current musical needs […]

Korg Gadget, Stroke Machine, and Thor all get Important iOS Updates

In the past two weeks, three of the leading iOS music apps received vital updates that significantly enhance their functionality. If you want to learn more about Korg Gadget, Stroke Machine, and Thor, check out our previous articles here at TabMuse. Read on further to get the latest news about these updates. Korg Gadget adds […]

Review: Audulus brings the Modular Synth World to the iPad

iOS musicians interested in exploring modular synthesis on their iPad or iPhone need to check out the excellent app, Audulus. Featuring a clean, state-of-the-art user interface and great sound, Audulus does a nice job of scratching that sound design itch when a desktop or laptop computer running Reaktor isn’t available. A Mac OS X version […]

Review: The iVCS3 raises the Bar for iPad Hardware Emulation

The EMS VCS3 — with other models known as the Synthi or Putney — is a legendary analog synthesizer from the Golden Age. Pink Floyd’s “On the Run” from Dark Side of the Moon famously uses the VCS3, and that same synth arpeggiation now serves as the “Hello World” application for many current analog beatboxes, […]

Korg Gadget — Reviewing the Synths, Part 2

So we’ve reviewed Korg’s powerful Gadget iOS beatmaking app; we covered its drum modules, and the first half of its synth collection. Naturally, what follows is a look at the other six synth modules of Gadget. Expect these Gadgets to be useful for creating a wide range of electronic and esoteric music. Wolfsburg offers a […]

Review: microTera — Waveshaping the iPad Synth World

VirSyn’s microTera is an excellent iPad synth app that offers its own take on the world of iPad sound creation. Essentially a smaller version of the miniTera desktop softsynth, which I used on Church of Hed’s Rivers of Asphalt album (“Painted Desert and Mountain Sky“), microTera features an intuitive interface with a unique and powerful […]

Korg Gadget — Reviewing the Drum Modules

Korg’s “studio-in-a-tablet” app, Gadget, continues to amaze with its intuitive interface and versatile collection of sound-producing “gadgets.” We previously gave Gadget a positive review, and also took a closer look at one half of its synth collection followed by the other half. What follows in this article is a more detailed analysis of Gadget’s three […]

Review: Z3TA+ is a Cakewalk among iPad Synth Apps

First earning fame as a plug-in for Cakewalk’s Sonar DAW software, Z3TA+ recently saw its debut on the iOS platform. This incredibly deep synthesizer immediately becomes one the most powerful music apps on the iPad. Featuring a robust synth architecture and a ton of useful features, Z3TA+ is a must get for the iOS musician. […]

Korg Gadget: Reviewing the Synths — Part 1

Korg’s recent release of Gadget gives iPad musicians something similar to Propellerhead Reason on a tablet computer. Last week’s Gadget update added support for Audiobus. With 15 different gadgets — each essentially the equivalent of a separate iPad synth app — the amount of sonic possibilities can get overwhelming. With that in mind, let’s take […]

Review: Korg Gadget gives Reason to iPad Beatmaking

Korg’s new Gadget app for the iPad is a fully-fledged beatmaking environment featuring up to 15 different synth and drum machine modules usable simultaneously. Essentially this is Reason on a tablet. The app’s sound quality is great, and Gadget also sports a robust feature set that makes it a breeze to create music. Korg Gadget […]